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January 18, 2013

HIV/AIDS Activists Encouraged by New Leadership in China

Li Keqiang, the new prime minister of China, has promised HIV/AIDS activists more government support, The New York Times reports. At a meeting with activists, he wore a red ribbon and shook hands with HIV-positive people. Activists have hopes for experiments such as those in the province of Guangdong, which borders Hong Kong. In that province, grassroots groups have been allowed to register directly with the provincial government instead of finding an official sponsor, which is the case elsewhere in the country. Gay volunteers mostly run the Lingnan Health Center in the provincial capital city of Guangzhou in an effort to create a less-stigmatizing environment. However, activists remain skeptical since similar promises have been made to them in the past.

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